Whole of Africa:
Definitely Archaeology: 19,078
Definitely Ethnography: 27,143
Either Archaeology or Ethnography: 858
This is very similar to the proportions for the collections up to 1945 globally for ethnography but there is a higher number of certain archaeological items from Africa than globally
Country by country divisions:
NB Note that double counting will affect the figures from this point, some entries are not clearly provenanced and more than one country is suggested for a single object, this means that a count of all countries will not add up to the totals given above which are the only solid divisions between archaeology and ethnography without doublecounting
Algeria:
Archaeological [henceforth A] = 1340 Ethnographic [E] = 1123 Archaeological or Ethnographic [A or E] = 17
There is a higher percentage of archaeological objects than the global or African levels from Algeria
Angola:
A = 0 E = 702 A or E = 0
100 per cent of Angolan objects are ethnographic
Benin Republic:
A = 13 E = 44 A or E = 1
There is a much higher proportion of ethnographic items from Benin
Botswana:
A = 19 E = 147 A or E = 11
Again there is a much higher proportion of ethnographic items from Botswana
Burkina Faso:
A = 0 E = 19 A or E = 0
All the objects from Burkina Faso are ethnographic
Burundi:
A = 0 E = 173 A or E = 0
All the objects from Burundi are ethnographic
Cameroon Cameroun:
A = 828 E = 927 A or E = 1
Cape Verde:
A = 131 E = 2 A or E = 0
Cape Verde objects are very nearly all archaeological
Central African Republic:
A = 0 E = 36 A or E = 0
Central African Republic objects are 100 per cent ethnographic
Chad:
A = 3 E = 179 A or E = 0
Chad objects are very nearly all ethnographic
Comoros:
A = 0 E = 2 A or E = 0
Comoros collections are 100 per cent ethnographic
Congo, Democratic Republic of:
A = 15 E = 1,620 A or E = 0
DR of Congo objects are nearly all ethnographic
Congo, People's Republic of:
A = 5 E = 173 A or E = 0
PR of Congo objects are nearly all ethnographic
Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast:
A = 0 E = 19 A or E = 0
Côte d'Ivoire objects are 100 per cent ethnographic
Djibouti:
A = 1 E = 24 A or E = 0
Djibouti objects are nearly all ethnographic
Egypt:
A = 7,847 E = 707 A or E = 119
Egyptian objects are overwhelmingly archaeological
Equatorial Guinea:
A = 0 E = 19 A or E = 0
Equatorial Guinea objects are all ethnographic
Eritrea:
A = 0 E = 8 A or E = 0
Eritrean objects are all ethnographic
Ethiopia:
A = 2 E = 170 A or E = 0
Ethiopian objects are almost all ethnographic
Gabon:
A = 0 E = 356 A or E = 0
Gabonese objects are all ethnographic
The Gambia:
A = 0 E = 55 A or E = 0
Gambian objects are all ethnographic
Ghana:
A = 580 E = 3,570 A or E = 181
A much higher percentage of Ghanian objects are ethnographic than the global or African figures
Guinea:
A = 7 E = 11 A or E = 0
The proportion of Guinea objects is not so different from the African total proportions
Guinea-Bissau:
A = 0 E = 13 A or E = 0
All Guinea-Bissau objects are ethnographic
Kenya:
A = 123 E = 960 A or E = 2
A higher proportion of Kenyan objects are ethnographic than for Africa as a whole
Lesotho:
A = 2 E = 20 A or E = 0
The vast majority of Lesotho objects are ethnographic
Liberia:
A = 0 E = 30 A or E = 0
All Liberian objects are ethnographic
Libya:
A = 123 E = 117 A or E = 0
Libyan objects are most half and half archaeological and ethnographic, the proportion of ethnographic is lower and the archaeology higher than Africa as a whole.
Madagascar:
A = 0 E = 147 A or E = 0
All Madagascan objects are ethnographic
Malawi:
A = 41 E = 503 A or E = 2
The vast majority of Malawi objects are ethnographic
Mali:
A = 2 E = 75 A or E = 0
Almost all Malian objects are ethnographic
Mauritania:
A = 193 E = 0 A or E = 0
Our collections from Mauritania are 100 per cent archaeological
Mauritius:
A = 0 E = 3 A or E = 0
Our collections from Mauritius are 100 per cent ethnographic
Morocco:
A = 95 E = 539 A or E = 1
A higher percentage of Moroccan objects are ethnographic
Mozambique (Moçambique):
A = 0 E = 259 A or E = 0
All Mozambique objects are ethnographic
Namibia:
A = 0 E = 53 A or E = 0
All Namibian objects are ethnographic
Niger:
A = 0 E = 308 A or E = 1
Almost all Niger objects are ethnographic
Nigeria:
A = 900 E = 6,162 A or E = 57
A very high percentage of Nigerian objects are ethnographic
Rwanda:
A = 0 E = 183 A or E = 0
All Rwandan objects are ethnographic
Senegal:
A = 0 E = 31 A or E = 0
All Senegalese objects are ethnographic
Seychelles:
A = 0 E = 6 A or E = 0
All Seychellian objects are ethnographic
Sierra Leone:
A = 2 E = 160 A or E = 5
The vast majority of Sierra Leone objects are ethnographic
Somalia:
A = 132 E = 292 A or E = 12
A slightly higher percentage of Somali objects are ethnographic than for Africa as a whole
South Africa:
A = 4,171 E = 2,434 A or E = 142
South African objects have a much higher percentage of archaeological objects than Africa as a whole
Sudan:
A = 2,959 E = 1,674 A or E = 121
Sudanese objects have a much higher percentage of archaeological objects than Africa as a whole
Swaziland:
A = 1 E = 3 A or E = 0
Almost all Swaziland objects are ethnographic
Tanzania:
A = 7 E = 690 A or E = 117
A high percentage of Tanzanian objects are ethnographic but there is also a large percentage of uncertainly typed objects
Togo:
A = 0 E = 89 A or E = 2
Almost all Togo objects are ethnographic
Tunisia:
A = 317 E = 71 A or E = 7
A high percentage of Tunisian objects are archaeological
Uganda:
A = 453 E = 792 A or E = 0
A slightly higher percentage of Ugandan objects are ethnographic than for Africa as a whole
Zambia:
A = 203 E = 530 A or E = 1
There is a slightly higher percentage of Zambian objects that are ethnographic
Zimbabwe:
The percentage of archaeological Zimbabwean objects is higher than for Africa as a whole
Other Africa
A = 34 E = 2083 A or E = 15
Almost all unprovenenced African objects are ethnographic
Summary of country-by-country split between archaeology and ethnography:
The percentage split for Africa as a whole is 60 per cent ethnography and 40 per cent archaeology which is very similar to the split for all objects in the PRM collections up to 1945. Although this match is present for Africa as a whole in fact there are a large number of African countries from whom there are only ethnographic objects and also other countries (typically ones with a larger number of objects) from whom a majority of archaeological objects have been donated:
Countries from which only ethnographic objects [shown in bold] , or a very high percentage, have been donated:
Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad [almost], Comoros, DR of Congo [almost], PR of Congo [almost], Côte D'Ivoire, Djibouti [almost], Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia [almost], Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho [almost], Liberia, Madagascar, Mali [almost], Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger [almost], Nigeria [very high percentage] , Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone [almost], Swaziland [almost], Tanzania [almost], Togo [almost],
Countries with a higher than average proportion of archaeological objects:
Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Libya [not that much higher], Mauritania, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Zimbabwe
Regional breakdown of objects by archaeology and ethnography:
Archaeology:
North Africa:
Algeria - 1,340
Egypt - 7,847
Libya - 123
Mauritania - 193
Morocco - 95
Tunisia - 317
Total of North African archaeology objects up to 1945: 9,915
Northeast Africa:
Djibouti - 1
Eritrea - 0
Ethiopia - 2
Somalia - 132
Sudan - 2,959
Total of NE African archaeology objects up to 1945: 3,094
West Africa:
Burkina Faso - 0
Chad - 3
The Gambia - 0
Mali - 2
Niger - 0
Nigeria - 900
Senegal - 0
Total of West African archaeology objects up to 1945: 905
Guinea Coast:
Benin Republic - 13
Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast - 0
Ghana - 580
Guinea - 7
Guinea-Bissau - 0
Liberia - 0
Sierra Leone - 2
Togo - 0
Total of Guinea Coast archaeology objects up to 1945: 602
Western Equatorial:
Cameroon Cameroun - 828
Central African Republic - 0
Equatorial Guinea - 0
Gabon - 0
Total of Western Equatorial archaeology objects up to 1945: 828
Central Africa:
Angola - 0
Congo, Democratic Republic of - 15
Congo, People's Republic of - 5
Zambia - 203
Total of Central African archaeology objects up to 1945: 223
East Africa:
Burundi - 0
Kenya - 123
Malawi - 41
Rwanda - 0
Tanzania - 7
Uganda - 453
Total of East African archaeology objects up to 1945: 624
Southern Africa:
Botswana - 19
Lesotho - 2
Mozambique (Moçambique) - 0
Namibia - 0
South Africa - 4,171
Swaziland - 1
Zimbabwe - 745
Total of Southern African archaeology objects up to 1945: 4,938
Other Africa and unprovenanced:
Cape Verde - 131
Comoros - 0
Madagascar - 0
Mauritius - 0
Seychelles - 0
Other - 34
Total of Other African archaeology objects up to 1945: 165
Regional African Archaeology:
Total of North African objects up to 1945: 9,915
Total of NE African objects up to 1945: 3,094
Total of West African objects up to 1945: 905
Total of Guinea Coast objects up to 1945: 602
Total of Western Equatorial objects up to 1945: 828
Total of Central African objects up to 1945: 223
Total of East African objects up to 1945: 624
Total of Southern African objects up to 1945: 4,938
Total of Other African objects up to 1945: 165
From which it can be seen that North African archaeology forms almost half of the total African archaeological collections up to 1945 and in fact Egypt is a very high percentage of this:
Egypt forms 36 [41] per cent of the entire African archaeology collections up to 1945, Sudan 14 [16] per cent and South Africa 20 [22] per cent.
[The alternatives are due to whether the totals are taken away from the totals of all countries archaeological totals, which includes double counts [21294], or just the total of all archaeological entries [19078] and the adjustment this makes to the totals
Ethnography:
North Africa:
Algeria - 1,123
Egypt - 707
Libya - 117
Mauritania - 0
Morocco - 539
Tunisia - 71
Total of North African ethnographic objects up to 1945: 2,557
Northeast Africa:
Djibouti - 24
Eritrea - 8
Ethiopia - 170
Somalia - 292
Sudan - 1,674
Total of NE African ethnographic objects up to 1945: 2,168
West Africa:
Burkina Faso - 19
Chad - 179
The Gambia - 55
Mali - 75
Niger - 308
Nigeria - 6,162
Senegal - 31
Total of West African ethnographic objects up to 1945: 6,829
Guinea Coast:
Benin Republic - 44
Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast - 19
Ghana - 3,570
Guinea - 11
Guinea-Bissau - 13
Liberia - 30
Sierra Leone - 160
Togo - 89
Total of Guinea Coast ethnographic objects up to 1945: 3,936
Western Equatorial:
Cameroon Cameroun - 927
Central African Republic - 36
Equatorial Guinea - 19
Gabon - 356
Total of Western Equatorial ethnographic objects up to 1945: 1,338
Central Africa:
Angola - 702
Congo, Democratic Republic of - 1,620
Congo, People's Republic of - 173
Zambia - 530
Total of Central African ethnographic objects up to 1945: 3,025
East Africa:
Burundi - 173
Kenya - 960
Malawi - 503
Rwanda - 183
Tanzania - 690
Uganda - 792
Total of East African ethnographic objects up to 1945: 3,301
Southern Africa:
Botswana - 147
Lesotho - 20
Mozambique (Moçambique) - 259
Namibia - 53
South Africa - 2,434
Swaziland - 3
Zimbabwe - 345
Total of Southern African ethnographic objects up to 1945: 3,261
Other Africa and unprovenanced:
Cape Verde - 2
Comoros - 2
Madagascar - 147
Mauritius - 3
Seychelles - 6
Other - 2,083
Total of Other African ethnographic objects up to 1945: 2,243
Regional African Ethnography:
Total of North African objects up to 1945: 2,557
Total of NE African objects up to 1945: 2,168
Total of West African objects up to 1945: 6,829
Total of Guinea Coast objects up to 1945: 3,936
Total of Western Equatorial objects up to 1945: 1,338
Total of Central African objects up to 1945: 3,025
Total of East African objects up to 1945: 3,301
Total of Southern African objects up to 1945: 3,261
Total of Other African objects up to 1945: 2,243
Total ethnography calculated by adding each country or region together: 28,657 [ie includes double counting]
Ethnography is much more evenly split between the regions than archaeological collections were, with only West Africa being a lot larger than all other areas.
Just as West African collections dominated the regional breakdown so does Nigeria on its own dominate the most significant countries ethnographic collections
Either Archaeology or Ethnography:
North Africa:
Algeria - 17
Egypt - 119
Libya - 0
Mauritania - 0
Morocco - 1
Tunisia - 7
Total of North African objects up to 1945: 144
Northeast Africa:
Djibouti - 0
Eritrea - 0
Ethiopia - 0
Sudan - 121
Somalia - 12
Total of NE African objects up to 1945: 133
West Africa:
Burkina Faso - 0
Chad - 0
The Gambia - 0
Mali - 0
Niger - 1
Nigeria - 57
Senegal - 0
Total of West African objects up to 1945: 58
Guinea Coast:
Benin Republic - 1
Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast - 0
Ghana - 181
Guinea - 0
Guinea-Bissau - 0
Liberia - 0
Sierra Leone - 5
Togo - 2
Total of Guinea Coast objects up to 1945: 189
Western Equatorial:
Cameroon Cameroun - 1
Central African Republic - 0
Equatorial Guinea - 0
Gabon - 0
Total of Western Equatorial objects up to 1945: 1
Central Africa:
Angola - 0
Congo, Democratic Republic of - 0
Congo, People's Republic of - 0
Zambia - 1
Total of Central African objects up to 1945: 1
East Africa:
Burundi - 0
Kenya - 2
Malawi - 2
Rwanda - 0
Tanzania - 117
Uganda - 0
Total of East African objects up to 1945: 121
Southern Africa:
Botswana - 11
Lesotho - 0
Mozambique (Moçambique) - 0
Namibia - 0
South Africa - 142
Swaziland - 0
Zimbabwe - 80
Total of Southern African objects up to 1945: 233
Other Africa and unprovenanced:
Cape Verde - 0
Comoros - 0
Madagascar - 0
Mauritius - 0
Seychelles - 0
Other - 15
Regional African Archaeology or Ethnography:
Total of North African objects up to 1945: 144
Total of NE African objects up to 1945: 133
Total of West African objects up to 1945: 58
Total of Guinea Coast objects up to 1945: 189
Total of Western Equatorial objects up to 1945: 1
Total of Central African objects up to 1945: 1
Total of East African objects up to 1945: 121
Total of Southern African objects up to 1945: 233
Total of Other African objects up to 1945: 15
Archaeological or Ethnographic African collections from British colonies:
| Countries |
Archaeology |
Ethnography |
Arch or Eth |
| Botswana |
19 |
147 |
11 |
| Egypt |
7,847 |
707 |
119 |
| The Gambia |
0 |
55 |
0 |
| Ghana |
580 |
3,570 |
181 |
| Kenya |
123 |
960 |
2 |
| Lesotho |
2 |
20 |
0 |
| Malawi |
41 |
503 |
2 |
| Mauritius |
0 |
3 |
0 |
| Namibia |
0 |
53 |
0 |
| Nigeria |
900 |
6,162 |
57 |
| Seychelles |
0 |
6 |
0 |
| Sierra Leone |
2 |
160 |
5 |
| Somalia |
132 |
292 |
12 |
| South Africa |
4,171 |
2,434 |
142 |
| Sudan |
2,959 |
1,674 |
121 |
| Swaziland |
1 |
3 |
0 |
| Tanzania |
7 |
690 |
117 |
| Uganda |
453 |
792 |
0 |
| Zambia |
203 |
530 |
1 |
| Zimbabwe |
745 |
345 |
80 |
| Total for British colonies |
18,185 |
19,106 |
850 |
This is much more evenly split between archaeology and ethnography than the African collections as a whole, with proportionally more archaeology and less ethnography coming from British colonies (this may be affected by the large Egyptian archaeological collections).
Archaeological or Ethnographic African collections from outside the British Empire:
| Countries |
Archaeology |
Ethnography |
Arch or Eth |
| Algeria |
1,340 |
1,123 |
17 |
| Angola |
0 |
702 |
0 |
| Benin Republic |
13 |
44 |
1 |
| Burkina Faso |
0 |
19 |
0 |
| Burundi |
0 |
173 |
0 |
| Cameroon Cameroun |
828 |
927 |
1 |
| Cape Verde |
131 |
2 |
0 |
| Central African Republic |
0 |
36 |
0 |
| Chad |
3 |
179 |
0 |
| Comoros |
0 |
2 |
0 |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of |
15 |
1,620 |
0 |
| Congo, People's Republic of |
5 |
173 |
0 |
| Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast |
0 |
19 |
0 |
| Djibouti |
1 |
24 |
0 |
| Equatorial Guinea |
0 |
19 |
0 |
| Eritrea |
0 |
8 |
0 |
| Ethiopia |
2 |
170 |
0 |
| Gabon |
0 |
356 |
0 |
| Guinea |
7 |
11 |
0 |
| Guinea-Bissau |
0 |
13 |
0 |
| Liberia |
0 |
30 |
0 |
| Libya |
123 |
117 |
0 |
| Madagascar |
0 |
147 |
0 |
| Mali |
2 |
75 |
0 |
| Mauritania |
193 |
0 |
0 |
| Morocco |
95 |
539 |
1 |
| Mozambique (Moçambique) |
0 |
259 |
0 |
| Niger |
0 |
308 |
1 |
| Rwanda |
0 |
183 |
0 |
| Senegal |
0 |
31 |
0 |
| Togo |
0 |
89 |
2 |
| Tunisia |
317 |
71 |
7 |
| Total for countries outside British Empire |
3,075 |
7,469 |
29 |
Proportionally there is much more ethnography in the outside British Empire collections than there was from the British colonies, in addition there is proportionally more than from the African collections as a whole
| Archaeology |
Ethnography |
Arch or Ethn |
|
| Total for British colonies |
18,185 |
19,106 |
850 |
| Total for countries outside British Empire |
3,075 |
7,469 |
29 |
Items which were not clearly archaeological or ethnographic from outside the British Empire amounted to less than one per cent. British colonial collections in total represent about 79 per cent of the total collection (calculated by an other method the result was 78 per cent). The split in the colonial collections between archaeology and ethnography is pretty even, however ethnography from outside the British Empire is almost double the size of the archaeology collections from the same areas.
